Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Gun Shows and Sales Taxes

Trib.com reports on the situation in Wyoming of collecting sales tax at gun shows.

The Wyoming Department of Revenue has suspended sales tax collections from gun shows because of increasing animosity toward the state's field tax agents.

Dan Noble, director of the department's excise tax division, said Friday that an incident at a gun show triggered the decision.

He added, however, that resistance from gun show sponsors and participants has been a recurring problem statewide.

"I have 10 field reps throughout the state, and every one of them has experienced some animosity," he said. "Folks are nervous anyway because there are guns there. I don't want to put my people at risk."

Guns shows, like craft shows, are required to set up temporary sales tax licenses but do not have to pay the $60 fee for a permanent sales tax license.

The department's field tax representatives attend the shows and ask the sponsors to distribute tax forms to the sellers who, in turn, are required to collect and remit sales tax to the Department of Revenue.

Some gun owners feel the 2nd Amendment should exonerate them from the requirement of paying sales tax. Others just hate the government, I guess.

What I'm wondering is where are all those well-behaved and respectful gun owners I keep hearing about. The article said the same problem exists in other states.

"Everybody's on edge," said John Wise, director of the Pine Bluffs Shooting Association and of the gun show.

Identifying himself as a "tea partier and damned proud of it," Wise said Friday that people are angry at the federal government over health care reform and other actions.

Wise said he was sitting at the front desk during the April gun show at Pine Bluffs when a participant got into a confrontation with a state sales tax representative. The tax agent called for backup from the Pine Bluffs Police Department.

Wise said the police officer intervened, the tax agent left and no charges were filed. He said he thought both men had "short fuses."

Wise said that individual gun owners who pay $30 to rent a table at a gun show so they can sell a couple of guns should not have to collect sales tax for the state.

What's your opinion? Is this just another anomaly? Are these wild exaggerations? Or are many gun owners loud-mouth bullies who think they deserve a pass from things like taxes?

So, people expressed their opinions that they don't like government interference, or taxes, or tax collectors. But nobody was actually threatened, or harmed, or charged with a crime.

And the government responded by not doing the activity that was causing the issue.

And this is a problem?

Isn't this the outcome most desired? People can express themselves, and the government fears the armed populace, leading to less government and less tyranny.

Or is that the problem for you anti-freedom types?

I almost feel sorry for you guys, "knowing" that every gun owner out there is "evil" and "knowing" that guns are the problem, yet you can't do anything about it, except whine like petulent children about how unfair it is; pointing out every shooting and every lunatic as though they are the rule, rather than the exception.

"Essentially, you're saying anyone has the right to threaten violence in order to get a desired outcome.

Where in the article was anyone threatened?

"Some gun owners feel the 2nd Amendment should exonerate them from the requirement of paying sales tax. Others just hate the government, I guess."

You left out option 3: some folks hate paying taxes regardless.

What is not mentioned here is that licensed dealers with vendor's licenses that set up at these shows have to collect the tax anyway. What Wyoming is trying to do is get everyone, even someone selling Beanie Babies to collect sales tax.

This practice varies from state to state. When I was in Louisville in 2008 for the NRA Convention, the vendors all had to collect sales tax. When in Charlotte this year, they did not. (Before Jade starts his nonsense--guns are not sold at the NRA conventions. I bought some cleaning products and T-Shirts as well as a small lockable gun box so MikeB would feel safer.)

At Ohio gun shows, if you buy a gun from a licensed dealer you will complete a NICS check and he will collect sales tax. If you buy something from someone that is not a state licensed vendor, they do not collect sales tax.

When you read reports of World Cup antics from South Africa, is your reaction to call every soccer fan “hooligans”, say we should ban soccer, and blame the “soccer mom culture” for instilling this disgrace on our young children?

Of course you do. Because you are an anti-freedom Statist. But thanks for admitting it. That's the first step to recovery. Somewhere down the line, you'll have to buy a gun (legally) and apologize for all the lies you've told. But, baby steps, MikeB. baby steps.